Everyone else seems to be doing album lists, so why let them have all the fun eh. Plus I need something to occupy my time whenever I've run out of interesting things to contribute to the boards (or whenever I don't really feel like writing about Elvis Costello), so here it is. A few things worth mentioning;
1. To make things a bit different, every 10 albums I'll post a link to a mixtape consisting of songs from those 10 for any curious readers.
2. There are a lot of albums I don't have, so there's the explanation for any classics that don't make the list. Either that or I don't really get all the fuss over them.
3. I figured this forum was the best place to put this thing. If any of you mods feel it's more suited to General Music, feel free to move the thread.
4. These are in no order. Well, not 'til the top 30 anyway. Oh, and it's one album per artist too.
I'll be keeping these short and sweet for now. Anyway, enough of my waffling - here goes;
100. The Triffids - Born Sandy Devotional (1986)

This is, for me, easily the best album from Perth's finest alternative band, providing a very intriguing blend of darkly introspective lyrics, Australian folk and elements of psychedelia. Stands as a shining example of the often-overlooked songwriting talents of one David McComb (RIP).
The best bits: The Seabirds,
Tarrilup Bridge,
Stolen Property
99. Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska (1982)

Unfortunately the majority of people I know associate the Boss with the swaggering 80s-ness of
Born In the USA (I'll admit it's how I once thought of the bloke), often leading to his perfectly good earlier works getting overlooked. Obviously, this falls into that category. Even for someone like me (no huge Springsteen fan), it's hard to see this as anything but one of the best lo-fi folk albums of all-time.
The best bits: Atlantic City,
Mansion On the Hill,
Johnny 99
98. Gomez - Bring It On (1998)

Gomez's debut will always be a shining example to me of indie as indie should be. For a start it was actually released by an independant label and it sounds nothing like anything the media are willing to slap the indie-rock tag on today, sounding in a lot of places like a modern (alright, 90s) form of psychedelic folk. That and the fact it's a genuinely kick-arse album (boasting one of the best singles of the 90s) helps its case as well.
The best bits: Whippin' Picadilly,
Make No Sound,
Get Myself Arrested
97. Gram Parsons - GP (1973)

Now, I'm no huge country fan (I only have 5 or 6 such albums), but if you've thought about giving the genre a try, this is one of the first albums you should look to. Of the two albums released before his tragic death at 26, his debut is probably the one I'd recommend highest, boasting the finest, laid-back qualities of relatively upbeat country rock and arguably being the album which pioneered the genre. Not quite the best country album ever (that's a bit higher in the list), but definitely one of the essentials.
The best bits: Still Feeling Blue,
We'll Sweep Out the Ashes In the Morning,
Streets Of Baltimore
If anyone wants a link, just ask - if I'm in a good mood I might just upload one for you.